Was still afrayd that daunger might thereby to him ensue For Israel and Iuda both to Dauid cleaued sore And eke their loue to him ech day increased more and more Then Saul attempted Dauid thus I will on thée bestow My daughter Merob whom thou hast deserued well I know Which thing he spake of no good will as he did then pretend But ment thereby the Philistines might bring him to his end When Dauid had considered the offer Saul had made Then he agayne with reuerence to him most humbly sayde O what am I what is my life my stocke or my degregrée That I so vile and base a wight thy sonne in law should bée But how so ere the matter went when Dauid should enioye His wife of Saul he had conceyud in mind an other toye And minded to defeate him cleane whom he entised so Entending his forenamed childe on Adriel to bestow Then was it vnto Saul declard what fauour Michol had To Dauid as it did appeare whereof the king was glad She shal be his and by her meanes he shal be caught in snare And fall into the Heathens hands before he be aware Pretending then as he would séeme his very friend to be My yongest daughter thou shalt haue be my sonne quod he And turning him vnto his men in secret to them sayde Perswade him if ye can to cast his fancy on the mayde And say to him behold the king doth greatly fauour thée In thee it lyes refuse it not his sonne in law to bée Also his seruants loue thée well they wish thée for to stay Thy selfe vpon the kings request and to his will obay The seruants went all these things they put in Dauids head Whose answer shewd he would not be by their persuasiōs led Doth it saide he séeme vnto you so small and light a thing For me to be the sonne in law to such a mighty king I am a man both poore and base of reputation small And haue no dowry for to giue her to enrich withall The men returned back agayne and made a true report Of all the answer Dauid gaue to them and in what sort Go yet quod he and tell him thus the king doth nothing craue But of one hundred Philistines their foreskins for to haue That throgh his corage to his name immortall praise may rise And I vpon my deadly foes may be reuengd likewise Now Sauls intent was only this to bring him into thrall And daunger of the Philistines to loose both life and all The messengers to Dauid went and told him how it stood What dowry he must séeke to giue to match in Royall blood Now hauing good occasion giuen with Philistines to mell To be the sonne in law to Saul it pleased Dauid well Not many dayes were past when he his promise had fulfild And slayne two hundred Philistines as he thereto was wild Whose skins were brought giuen to Saul by Dauid his men So that of right he might not hold his daughter from him then Wherfore the king did Michol giue to Dauid as his wife Who loued him full tenderly euen as she loued her life Now hauing both the Lord with him Michols heart in holde It made the king the more afrayd of him an hundred folde So déepe a roote had malice caught within his heart and eye That vnto Dauid he became a deadly enemie But Dauid so behaued him with wisedome as it séemd That none among the men of Saul aboue him was estéemd Wherfore now Sauls hipocrisie which he so long had hid Brast out in open crueltie and caused him to bid Both Ionathas and eke his men that Dauid they should kill Who were full sory in their hearts and loth to do him ill When Ionathas perceyued well his father sought to wreake His malice on the innocent with Dauid he did breake And said my father meanes deceite and séekes thine ouerthrow Lake héede therfore it stāds thée on thy wisdome now to show Go hide thée in some secret place and kéepe thée out of sight Untill the morow day put forth the comfort of his light And I will stand my father by in field where that thou art And do the best I can with him to féele and grope his heart And as I find him bent to theée to kill or eke to saue Doubt not but I wil find the meanes that thou shalt knowledge haue As Ionathas was in the field and by his father stood And hauing talke of Dauid there he spake of him much good Let not the king sayd Ionathas agaynst thy seruaunt sin For he hath not offended thée without nor yet within Did he not kill the Philistine with daunger of his life And brought therwith to Israel great peace in place of strife Thou saw it well and did reioyce now therfore take a pause And do not hurt the innocent nor kill without a cause Then Saul gaue eare to Ionathas God wot full faynedly Although he swore vnto the Lord that Dauid should not dye Yet Ionathas vpon his othe did Dauid to him call Declaring how the matter stood and brought him vnto Saul With whom he was and serued him as he had in times past But enuy bare such rule in him that long it did not last For now the warres began a fresh and Dauid by Gods might Slew many of the Philistines and put the rest to flight The king enuying this good lucke which God had Dauid sent Was through the wicked sprit possest againe to mischiefe bent For as he sate his full intent was Dauid to haue slayne At whō he threw with mighty force his Iauelin but in vayne For Dauid shund the deadly stroke and durst not bide in sight But gat him home vnto him wife who saued him that night For Saul had sent his men of armes to garde his house about With charge to sée him there dispatcht before that he came out Then Michol like a faythfull wife gaue counsell very good And bad him saue himself that night for sure they sought his blood No other shift she had to make their purpose to preuent But at a window let him downe and so away he went. Who béeing gone she tooke and layd an image in his bed A pillow stuft with Gotish héere she put vnder his hed Declaring to the messengers that came their lorde to please How that in bed her husband lay not very well at ease Of this they made certificate to Saul to know his will Who bad them bring him bed and all that so he might him kill But when the men were entred in and stoode by his bedstocke They foūd not Dauid whō they sought but in his place a block Then Saul of Michol made demaund wherefore she had done so Deluding him and all his men to let his enemie go Alas quod she I could not choose I so enforced was He threatned me with present death vnlesse I let him passe Thus Dauid being fled away was gone to
vexed him full often times and did him so molest That for the time of all his wittes he was quite dispossest Which gréeued sore his men to sée wherefore they gan to say Behold how this most wicked wight doth hauÌ„t thée day by day Let there be sought a cunning man of good and perfect skill On harpe or other instrument some comfort bring it will. Prouide me then of such a one go search both â—arre and nere Where that the best is to be had and bring him to me here Then one did say that Isai had a sonne that did excell In musike and vpon the harpe he played passing well A strong and valiaunt man of warre well made of bone lim Excéeding wise in his affayres and hath the Lorde with him Then sent the king and made request that Isai would him send His yongest sonne that on his shéepe and shepefold did attend Who at the kings commaundement prepared therewithall A simple present with his sonne and sent him vnto Saul So Dauid serued now the king and in the Court remaynd Where he was well accept of Saul and gently entertaynd His harnesse bearer he became The king sent once agayne To Isai that Dauid should with him a while remayne Then Dauid great atendance gaue vpon his master Saul To be at hande if that the sprite should chaunce on him to fall As now and then it came to passe then Dauid gan to play Upon his harpe so pleasauntly that soone it went away Now after this the Philistines came with a mightie hoast To warre agaynst the Israelites pitcht in Dammims coast Then Saul the king of Israel them to resist he goes And camped in the vale of Oke in sight of all his foes The Philistines stoodâ— on an hill the Israelites were séene To stand vpon an other hill a valley them betweene And while the hoast stoode at a stay a Philistine came downe Into the bottome of the vale a strong and mighty clowne His name it hight Goly of Gath so bigge and huge a man As was in length from top to toe six cubites and a span An helmet on his head he had of hard and massy brasse A coate of male vpon his backe of passing weight it was A shield bootes of brasse likewise which he was woÌ„t to weare And scarsly could a weauers beame well couÌ„terpeise his speare Now hauing one to beare his shield and waite vpon the same Agaynst the hoast of Israel with voyce he gan proclame Why come ye out in battayle ray behold I am but one Send out a man that dare assay to fight with me alone If he do beate me in this place then we will all be yours If I preuayle with force and might then you shall all be ours This day the hoast of Israel I do it all defye Send out a man that we may fight and here the matter trye When Saul and all the Israelites had heard and séene his spite They were with feare astonished and out of courage quite Here now to Dauid Isais sonne our talke returnd shal bée An Euphratite of Bethleem a man of good degrée This Isai had vnto his sonnes in number eight in all And he himselfe well stept in yeres now in the dayes of Saul With whom thrée of his eldest sonnes into the warres did go Both Samma and Abinadab and Eliab also But Dauid went not out with Saul for he was gone before To féede his fathers shéepe agayne and came to Saul no more His father nowe an aged man and of the warres afrayd Bethought him of his sonnes with Saul and thus to Dauid said Come forth my sonne I le send thée now into the hoast of Saul To sée thy brethren how they fare and what thing iâ— befall Go carie them this parched corne these ten loaues of bread For in their hunger it perhaps may stand them in some stead And to their capteine vnder whom their lotte is for to serue Present these chéeses in my name that he may them deserue If néede haue forsoe thy brethren so that â—â—ey haue gages layde Redéeme their pledge and sée that all their creditors be payde Then Dauid early gat him vp committing all his shéepe Unto an other skilfull man to tende them and to kéepe So going forth he came vnto the hoast that lay about Where as he heard the noyse of warre people make a shout For both the hoasts were in aray and stood in others sight Ech one with weapon in his hand as ready for to fight TheÌ„ leauing al his gere with one that mo things had in charge He ran and found his brethren out saluting them at large And as he stood in talk comes forth great Goly with his vauÌ„ts Prouoking still the Israelites with spitefull bitter tauntes Whose vgly shape and mighty corps did so the people fray That they durst not abide his looke but ranne from him away Ech one to other saying thus saw you this fiend of hell His comming vp is to revile the hoast of Israel Who so can him depriue of life and master in the field To him the king his daughter deare great rewards wil yéeld And furthermore he will also his fathers house to bée In all the land of Israel from tax and payments frée Now Dauid hearing all the brags the Philistine had made His heart was moued so within that he brast out and sayde What shal be done vnto the man what honour to his name That beateth yonder Philistine to saue the land from shame For what is this vncircumcisd what power is in his rod That he should thus reuile the hoast of the true liuing God The people sayd to him agayne as they had sayd before That so it should be done to him with prayse for euermore Which thing his brother Eliab tooke in such spite and hate That he offended with his talke began him all to rate What hast thou here to do quod he go home tend thy shéepe Which thou hast left in wildernes without a guyde to kéepe I know the malice of thy heart which so in thée hath wrought That it pride hath brought thée down to sée the battel fought Then Dauid saide what haue I done there is some cause certaine And so departing farther of he spake the same againe To whom the people as before assured him of all But some that noted well his words rehearsed them to Saul Who caused him for to be fet that he might sée the man And being brought immediatly to speake he thus began Let not the king dismayed be let no mans heart him fayle For yonder bragging Philistine I shall God will assayle Thou art not able quod the king to cope with him in hand So farre aboue thy power he is thou mayst him not withstand Thou art but yet a boy in age and he a man of might Brought vp traded from his youth in warre warlike fight Then Dauid to encourage Saul in Gods great
counsell in this thing Ye might haue made vs priuie of restoring home the king Thus they debated to and fro this quarrell of some grudge But Iuda did preuayle therein as eury man might iudge But now a man of Belial one Seba cald by name Had got to him all Israel and gan it to proclaime How they no part in Dauid had the sonne of Isai Nor yet inheritaunce in him and spake it scornefully So when as Seba blew his trumpe ech man gat to his tent All ready for to follow him which way so ere he went. But Iuda stucke to Dauid fast and not a man did mis From Iordan to Ierusalem were full and wholly his Now while this geare a working was with them of Israel King Dauid in his house at home not finding all things well Among his women Concubines who had offence commit With Absalon while he was out gan now to punish it Yet not with death as was the law but shut them all vp fast In prison close allowing foode so long as life did last Then hearing of these mutinies and stirres in eury place Sent out all Iuda to prepare and that in thrée dayes space And gaue that charge to Amasa but when he brake his day He grew in feare of some mishap and thus began to say Now Seba in this faction shall hurt and harme vs more Then did my deare sonne Absalon in his attempts before Take thou therfore Abisai of Ioabs men a band And presse on Seba least he get some succour out of hand And Ioab tooke with him also his men the Corethites With many from Ierusalem beside the Philethites And as he marched on his way this Seba for to get Euen at the stone of Gibeon with Abasa he met Who brotherly saluted him as nothing were amisse And made as though he would him take about the necke to kisse But sodenly he smote him in the bely with his knife That all his bowels gushed out so ended he his life Then Ioab and Abisai who were together met To follow Seba at the backe away apace they get And came to Abel where he was got in with all his route Which Citie Ioab with his hoast besieged round about And thrusting at a certayne place to ouerthrow the wall A prudent woman came and gan aloude to crye and call Unto the people praying them they would it not deferre Their Capteine Ioab so desire to come and speake with her Who béeing come she him beheld and askt him if t were he I am quod he good wife the same say what thou wilt to me Then heare thine hādmaide what she saith He said I heare thée wel And wil giue good attētiue eare to that that thou shalt tel It was the vse of olde quod she and Marshall law I know Before a peace be offered no towne to ouerthrow The Citie here that I am in which called is Abel Hath alwayes kept fidelitie with kings of Israel And yet thou goest about with power a Citie to subuert Who as a faythfull mother peace doth nourish in her heart O Ioab this thy tyrannie with right doth not accorde So to destroy the heritage perteining to the Lorde God shield quod he I should attempt this Cities ouerthrow It neuer came into my thought that crueltie to show But this it is there is a man one of mount Ephraim One Seba who remaynes with you our quarrell is to him Who doth rebell agaynst my lord king Dauid forceably Deliuer him and we will then depart hence quietly Then let my lorde but stay a while and I will forthwithall Prouide quod she ye shall receyue his head cast ore the wall Then she with wisdome of her words among them in the towne Did cause his head be smitten off and hurld to Ioab downe A trompet then he made to blow and from the Citie went With all the hoast he brought with him ech mā home to his tēt And Ioab to Ierusalem returned to the king And told him of his good successe and eury other thing Now after these seditions the king new order takes Among his chiefest officers and first of all he makes Ioab the sonne of Zaruia chiefe capteine of the hoast Among the men of Israel to leade in eury coast Banaia a warlike man and one of perfect skill The Corethites and Phelethites to guyde it was his will. The tribute which he had among the nations won with fame He did commit to Aduram to gather vp the same Now Iosaphat Recorder was to note vp eury thing And Seua Scribe to write all that perteined to the king But Sadoch and Abiathar were priestes of high degrée And Ira was chiefe counsellor and great in dignitie Now after this an hunger great the people fell among Which dured in king Dauids time the space of thrée yeres long The king enquired what the cause of this great plague should be The Lord made answere t was for Saul and his great crueltie Which he had shewd the Gibeonites with whō duke Iosua made A couenaunt both of peace and life and bound them to a trade Which trade they did obserue yet he sought their ouerthrow Both Iuda and the Israelites he sought to pleasure so None of the séede of Israel were now the Gibeonites But were a certayne remnant left of all the Amorites Of whom then Dauid did demaund what he for them should do Or what attonement shall I make that ye will grée vnto We will quod they no siluer haue nor gold of thée at all Nor any man to dye for vs but of the house of Saul Looke what ye will quod Dauid then haue me for you to do Disclose your minde and you shall haue me ready therevnto We do request that of the line and kinred of king Saul In Gibeah before the Lord seuen may be hangd for all The king had great compassion on Ionathas and his And would not for his oth of olde his sonne should do amis And was excéeding glad because they did no mo request That he might saue Miphiboseth from hanging with the rest Frō Rizpa her two sonnes he tooke which she did beare to Saul Miphiboseth and Armoni these two and they were all From Merob other fiue he tooke which she by Adriel Had in her life and after were by Michol brought vp well Thus plaged were the sonnes of Saul euen for their fathers sin Who did destroy the Gibeonites and had delite therein But Rizpa that was wife to Saul made spéede without delay To pitche her tent vpon the hill to kéepe the beates away And would not suffer beast nor foule to touch her sonnes at all Frō haruest time till God did make his rayne frō heauē to fall The king when he did vnderstand her motherly intent Their bodies to remoue away he caused one be sent The bones of Saul and Ionathas he likewise brought away From Iabes who did stealingly from Bethlem them conuay Where they had by the Philistines
king and thus vnto him say My lord O king didst thou not make an oth to me for aye That Salomon my sonne should sit vpon thy kingly seate And now thy sonne Adonia thereof doth him defeate And while thou talkest with the king about thy sonne alone I will come after and confirme thy sayings eury one So Bethsabe to Dauid went into his chamber bolde Where Abisag was ministring because the king was olde She bowing downe with reuerence and great humilitie He then demaunded what the cause of her repayre should be My lord quod she thou didst loÌ„g since vnto thine haÌ„dmaid sweare That Salomon should after thée as king the scepter beare And now beholde Adonia he is proclaymed king And thou my lord vnto this houre not priuy to the thing His Oxen are all offred vp his shéepe and cattell fat And hath both Ioab and his priest Abiathar thereat And all thy sonnes be there with him saue Salomon alone With many other mightie men that vnto him are gone And now my lorde the eyes of all the people Israel WhoÌ„ thou wilt haue succéede do looke that thou thy self should tel For els when that my lord doth rest both Salomon and I We shall trausgressours counted be as worthy so to dye And while she thus stoode with the king debating to and fro The Prophet Nathan commeth in his pleasure for to know And when he had with reuerence obeisance duely made He told his tale and with the king gan wisely to perswade My lord O king hast thou commaunde or so ordeined it That after thée Adonia vpon thy seate shall sit For he hath made his kingly feast and thereto hath he bid Thy sonnes Capteins of the hoast which thing to thée is hid Abiathar with many mo in bankets cheerefully God saue our king Adonia God saue our king they cry But me and Sadoch that good priest nor Salomon thy sonne Nor yet Banaia they cald to this they haue begonne Is this the kings good pleasure now and made to me so dim That of my lord I may not know who shall reigne after him Then Dauid called Bethsabe and thus vnto her sware As God doth liue who hath me rid from trouble and from care Assure thy selfe that Salomon thy sonne shall after me Sit on the seate of Israel and thereof king shall be The Quéene then yéelding harty thanks bowing him before To God she prayde that he might reigne and liue for euermore The king did call Banaia and Sadoch to him than And Nathan to and then his minde to breake he thus began Go forth and take with you my men and set vp Salomon Upon the mule whereon I rid and leade him to Gihon And there let Sadoch him annoint with truÌ„pets blowing braue And then with trumpets do you cry king Salomon God saue Then come you all and follow him and set him on my throne For I haue sworne and do appoynt he shall be king alone Amen then said Banaia the liuing Lorde permit That on thy seate a happy king he many dayes may sit And as the Lord hath bene with thée so let him giue his streÌ„gth Unto the seate of Salomon and stretch it more in length So they departed from the king and set vp Salomon vpon the Mule as they were bid and brought him to Gihon Where Sadoch then anoynted him and vp the trumpets blow God saue our lord king Salomon the peoples voyce doth go And comming after him with pipes they ioyfully do sing Whose sound of voyce instrumeÌ„ts made all the earth to ring The voyce was such that it did come to Adonias place And made his gests to turne chaunge the colour in their face But Ioab gan to stirre said what meanes this passing noyse Of trumpet blowing in the towne and sound of men boyes He had no sooner spoke the word but in came Ionathan Who in the presence of them all to tell him newes began Our lord and king assuredly vpon some weightie thing Hath caused Salomon his sonne to be proclaymed king They haue him brought on Dauids Mule to Gihon regally Where Sadoch hath annoynted him our king and lord to be Wher at the people shoute for ioy that he shall ore them reigne Which is the noyse sounde ye heare of him and all his trayne And furthermore the people hath giuen thanks to Dauid great And pray to God the sonne may passe the father in his seate The king likewise hath praysed God whose mercy brought to pas That in his seate before he dyed his sonne inuested was Then all the gestes Adonia had feasted that same day Were sore afrayde and made great haste to rise and get away And he him selfe as one that feard the sight of Salomon Did flée and catch the Aulters hornes to saue him selfe thereon Then one comes vnto Salomon and humbly doth begin To tell the daunger and the feare Adonia is in Add makes request that he would sweare promise by his word That he would not his seruaunt put that day vnto the sword If that he may quod Salomon to me be faythfull founde No haire that is vpon his head shall fall vnto the grounde But if I finde vntruth in him or wickednes espye He may make his account thereof that he shall surely dye So béeing brought to Salomon he did him selfe submit And home was sent vnto his house there quietly to sit Now came the time that Dauid should passe froÌ„ this world away Wherfore he called Salomon and thus gan to him say My time drawes on for me to dye and passe an other way Shew thou thy selfe a man therfore and on the Lord thée stay Kéepe thou his watch with careful eye walke in al his waies That thou in all thy good attempts mayst prosper all thy daies So shall the Lord make good his worde promise firmely laide Unto his seruaunt long ago when thus to me he saide If that thy children take good héede and guyde their steps aright And walke before me in the truth with all their heart might Then shalt thou neuer want a man to sit vpon thy throne To rule and gouerne Israel when thou art dead and gone And furthermore thou knowest right well how Ioab serued me And with a couple how he dealt farre better men then he How Amasa and Abner to he falsly did betray And shed their blood most cruelly and cast them both away Deale thou therfore with Ioab as thy wisdome shall increase And let not his hore head be brought downe to the graue in peace But let the sonnes of Berzella be at thy table fed For they came to me when away from Absalon I fled Thou hast with thée one Semei a man of Bahurim Who curst me all the way I went vnto Mahanaim But yet at my returne he came and brought me home agayne Wheras I made an othe to him that he should not be slayne Yet shalt thou not him giltlesse count but by thy wisdome good Sée that his hore head downe be brought vnto the graue with blood Thus now wheÌ„ Dauid in his reigne had runne out al his race His soule departed vnto God and left his sonne in place FINIS Cap. 17. Isai sent Dauid to releue his brethreÌ„ but God sent him for the deliuerance of Israel Cap. 18. The vnmoueable loue of Ionathas and Dauid Cap. 19. The firste profe of Ionathas fidelitie to Dauid The faithfâ—nnesse of Michol to her husband Dauid â—he secondeâ—â—ofe of Ioâ—â—thas ' fideâ—â—tie Cap. 21. Now Dauid feigned him selfe to be madde The Priests of Nob are slayne Cap. 23. Dauid saued the towne of Keilah The thirde profe of Ionathas fidelitie Cap. 24. The great gentlenes of Dauid compelled Saul his enemy to yéelde Cap. 25. Of the churlish parte of Nabal Cap. 26. Of Dauids faythfulnes to Saul Cap. 28. Cap. 29. 2. Regum Cap. 1. Here Saul is slayne Cap. 2. Cap. 3. Cap. 4. Here Isboseth is slaine trayterously Cap. 5. Dauid is annoynted king Cap. 6. Michol despiseth Dauid for dauncing before the Arke Cap. 7. Dauids prayer Cap. 8. The victorie that God gaue to Dauid ouer the Philistines and other straunge nations Cap. 9. The restoring of Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas Micah was Miphiboseths sonne Cap. 10. Cap. 11. Dauid committeth adultery and homicide Cap. 12. Dauid is reproued for his adultery and homicide A rare example in a Capteine The ingratitude of the Ammonites punished Cap. 13. Ammon rauisheth his sister Thamar Ionadab was the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother Ammon is slayne Thalmai was the king of Gesur father to Maacha Absolons mother Cap. 14. Cap. 15. Absalon aspireth to the kingdome Dauid flieth froÌ„ his sonne Absalon The fidelitie of Ithai the sonne of Achis king of Geth as some do write Sadoch foloweth after Dauid with the Arke is sent backe agayne Chusai commeth to Dauid who sendeth him to Absalon Cap. 16. Ziba coÌ„meth to Dauid to deceiue Miphiboseth his master Semei curseth Dauid Achitophels counsell agaynst Dauid Chusai ouerthroweth the counsell of Achitophel Ahimaas Ionathan are hid in a well Cap. 18. Achitophel hangeth him selfe Dauid mouâ—â—neth for his sonne Absalon Cap. 19. The wilines of Semei Miphiboseth meeteth the king in Ierusalem Berselai méeteth king Dauid A strife betwéene the men of Israel and the men of Iuda for king Dauid Cap. 20. Seba maketh an insurrectioÌ„ against Dauid Dauid shutteth vp his Concubines Ioab slue Amasa some think he did it for that Amasa tooke parte with Absalon and that Dauid had made him captein generall in his stead Cap. 21. The dearth that fell in Dauids time Cap. 22. Dauid for his victories prayseth God. Cap. 23. Here Dauid numbreth his people Dauid is plagued for numbring his people 3. Regum Cap. 1. Adonia aspireth to the kingdome Salomon is proclaymed king Cap. 2.